Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment.

Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling water for 1 minute (should turn bright green), then remove and place in ice water to stop the cooking process and set the green color. Drain well

Start food processor (large bowl w/multi-purpose, metal blade) on low. Add onion and parsley through the feed tube while food processor is running. Stop and add broccoli. Pulse first to break up. Run on high, stop scrape bowl and run some more if needed.

Add breadcrumbs, cheese, salt and pepper - Pulse until combined. Run the FP on low and drizzle in beaten egg.

Scoop about a 2-tablespoon portion of mixture. Gently give a squeeze with your hand, roll and pat into a “tater-tot” shape. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Spray them or drizzle with a little non-stick cooking spray or oil.

Bake until golden brown and crispy about 18-22 minutes., turning them half-way through cooking.

Love this Grilled Zucchini Lasagna!!!

I never liked zucchini when I was younger (except for zucchini bread), but I have recently discovered there are certain ways I do like zucchini prepared. I think it's a textural thing for me. The zucchini in this lasagna is perfect - it takes on the texture of thin sheets of pasta! YUM!

The KitchenAid Vegetable Sheet Cutter Attachment makes it super easy to cut perfectly even and thin zucchini lasagna noodles. (If you do not have one, you can slice the zucchini lengthwise on a mandolin or slice as thinly as you can lengthwise with a knife.)

When I first tried a recipe for zucchini lasagna, I was so disappointed - it came out of the oven and was a soupy mess. I set about trying to create a recipe for "non-soupy" zucchini lasagna. On my first attempt, I tried salting the zucchini before assembling to reduce the moisture the zucchini would release while baking. It worked a little, but there was still quite a bit of liquid at the bottom of the casserole. The next time I made it, I salted and then grilled the zucchini sheets to further reduce the moisture - this was the ticket! It had just a little liquid* gather in the bottom of the dish, great to spoon out with each portion. (*I assume different zucchini may have variable moisture content depending upon where and when they are harvested.) The lasagna is also great for make ahead - it both reheats and freezes well!

For a 2.5-quart dish I used 5 zucchini. Try to look for thicker zucchini.

Trim to size needed for Sheet Cutter Attachment. There are measurement markings on skewer.

Grill the zucchini sheets for about 30 seconds on each side or until they are marked from grill and seem dry.

Get ready to assemble.

Spread a little sauce mixture in bottom of dish.

Add a layer of grilled zucchini sheets.

Add some dollops of ricotta mixture...

...spread out ricotta mixture a little.

Add another layer of grilled zucchini sheets in other directions (perpendicular to previous layer).

Add some sauce mixture.

Continue layering...

Top with shredded mozzarella and bake.

Let rest 10-20 minutes before cutting.

ENJOY!

Grilled Zucchini Lasagna Recipe:

Tina Verrelli – epicuricloud.com

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

5-7 zucchini

1 teaspoon kosher salt

19-ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage (optional)

24-ounces prepared marinara sauce

24-ounces ricotta cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning blend

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 egg

8-ounces shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Use KitchenAid Sheet Cutter Attachment with the “thick” slice blade to cut sheets of zucchini. Alternatively you could slice lengthwise with a mandolin slicer or slice as thinly as possible lengthwise with a knife.

Sprinkle the zucchini sheets with 1 teaspoon salt and place in a colander over a platter. Allow the zucchini to rest for 20-30 minutes to release some moisture. Rinse the zucchini and drain. Cut the zucchini into lengths that will fit your grill pan. Grill the zucchini for about 30 seconds on each side until the surface of the zucchini looks fairly dry and has some nice grill marks. This will help reduce the moisture amount in the zucchini. Lay them flat until ready to assemble.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the sausage from the casing and brown in a 12” skillet. Add marinara sauce to sausage and bring to a low simmer.

In 2 1/2-quart rectangular baking dish, spread a little marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish, add a layer of zucchini sheets. Spoon on some ricotta mixture and spread slightly. Add another layer of zucchini sheets perpendicular to the last zucchini sheets. (The criss-cross layering will add stability.) Spoon some of the marinara mixture over, then add another layer of zucchini sheets. Continue layering until you run out of ingredients or run out of pan space. Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted and browned. Allow to rest for at least 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Kennett Square Mushroom Festival 2016!

I always have a great time at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival! I participated in the Cook-Off for years and this is my second time giving a mushroom cooking demonstration! Here's the recipe from my demo this year - Mushroom & Spinach Crespelle Cannelloni. The crespelle or crepes make the dish so tender and light. There are mushrooms in the crepes, in the filling and in chardonnay cream sauce! Oh my! They are so good! I've made the cannelloni with marinara sauce too - very good as well, but the cream sauce wins in my book! They're much easier to make than you would think - and you can make them ahead of time!

Combine all the crepe ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour until slightly thickened.

Spray an 8-inch non-stick skillet lightly with cooking spray. Place the pan over medium heat. With a measuring cup or ladle, pour about 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan. Rotate the pan to spread the batter evenly.

Cook the crepe until the top looks dry, about 30 seconds. Turn the crepe over with a spatula and cook the other side, about 20 seconds. Slide the crepe onto a plate and continue the process with the remaining batter.

Stack the crepes between waxed paper to prevent sticking. You can prepare the crepes a day ahead. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Make the Ricotta Filling:

In large bowl, (or in bowl of stand mixer) add the ricotta filling ingredients. Mix until well blended. Store covered in refrigerator until ready to use. You can make this filling the day before.

Make the Chardonnay Cream Sauce:

Reheat the skillet with the remaining mushroom mixture. Deglaze pan with wine and reduce by half. Add cream, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to simmer and reduce by 1/3. (Will reduce further in oven.)

Assemble:Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a 13x9x2 inch glass or ceramic baking dish with about 1-cup of the cream sauce.

Lay out 1 crepe on flat surface. Spoon ¼ cup filling mixture into the center of the crepe. Arrange the filling in a strip across the diameter of the crepe. Fold one side over the filling and roll the rest of the way to form the filled cannelloni. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with all other crepes. Spoon about 1 cup additional sauce over the center of the cannelloni. (They should not be completely submerged in sauce.) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover loosely with foil and bake about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes until golden brown and sauce is bubbling.

epicuricloud

Welcome to epicuricloud! I hope you'll spend some time in the cloud with me! I'll be posting creative recipes, stories of my cooking contest adventures and writing about the backstory of recipes: the Recipe Roots™.